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Monday, November 21, 2011

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

So now that we all know how to quickly roast some peppers, it's time to move on to the meal. Poblanos stuffed with Mexican spiced shredded chicken and smokey cheddar cheese and topped with a tomatillo salsa, there's something just so... home... about this dish. And it's so easy, an excellent Monday night meal.

And the beauty of roasted stuffed peppers is, there is no right way to
make them. I just happened to have chicken and cheddar in my fridge that
needed to be used before I left, but this could easily be vegetarian or
vegan, you could use pork or beef or any even seafood, with a nice
spicy red sauce or even mole. Any number of vegetables like mushrooms,
eggplant, corn, zucchini, spinach, huitlacoche, etc could be used. You
can skip cheese altogether and go for a Mexican crema or sour cream. And one of my absolute favorite versions if a traditional Mexican dish called chile en nogada, a recipe I usually defer to the experts when I visit home instead of attempting on my own.

1 c. tomatillo salsa (I used canned, but if you have the means, it's a snap to make from scratch)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Combine the chile powder, paprika and cumin. Pat down chicken breast with a paper towel, drizzle olive oil over and rub in salt and pepper. Then rub the spice mixture over on top. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until there is no pink in the middle. Let sit for 5 minutes to rest and then shred, or cube in small pieces.

2. Slice the poblanos down one side and remove as many seeds as you prefer (the more seeds, the spicier the dish). In a bowl combine the cheddar, mayo and shredded chicken. Stuff as much of this mixture as possible into the poblano, and then place seam side down on a baking dish.

3. Top the poblanos liberally with the tomatillo salsa and put back in the over for 5-7 minutes at 375. Broil on high for the last 2 minutes. Serve over rice.